


Magnets, How Do They Work?

by theliteraltrash



Category: Scream (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Infidelity, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, compulsory heterosexuality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2018-12-30 07:26:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12103704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theliteraltrash/pseuds/theliteraltrash
Summary: Sidney Prescott was not expecting a life of turmoil and self acceptance. Billy Loomis just wanted the life of your average straight guy, the problem was that he was far from straight. Randy Meeks was just the guy there to help the girl he loved with relationship issues, at least that’s what he thought. Stu Macher just wanted Billy to be honest with himself. And Tatum Riley, oh Tatum, she just wanted to be happy.





	1. Chapter 1

Woodsboro was a quiet town, it rarely had any crimes aside from petty theft from a teenager. Sidney Prescott was dating one of those teenagers. Billy Loomis and Stu Macher were the town troublemakers. Billy tended to stay away from the crowds of students that he attracted, but Stu thrived on it. Stu hosted parties while Billy was upstairs with Sidney watching a sitcom and drinking beer in Stu's parents room.

“Why do we come to these things?” Sidney asked as the group of adults on the television screamed at each other in anger.

Billy raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “Stu’s parties?”

Sidney sat up and crossed her legs. “Yeah. We always just watch Sunny and you drink. We don't do anything until everyone leaves. You hate almost everyone here,” she was babbling.

Billy rolled his eyes and put the bottle in the nightstand. He sat up and turned to her. “We come here to make sure Stu, Tatum, and Randy don't do anything stupid during the party and then we just hang out afterwards. What's so bad about it?”

Sidney sighed. “There's nothing _bad_ about it I just don't see a point. Maybe I want to go down there and party with Tatum.”

“Then go downstairs. I'm not forcing you to watch TV with me,” Billy turned back to the television and grabbed the remote.

Sidney got off the bed and walked to the door. “If you need anything, just come downstairs,” she turned back to him.

He didn't look at her as he scrolled through the guide, probably looking for a horror movie. “Whatever,” he mumbled.

Sidney frowned and left, closing the door quietly. She heard the music more clearly. Stu had somehow managed to have a party with a wide variety of music, including songs from rock bands Sidney had never heard of. Now he was playing a song from the top 40s, again nothing Sidney knew.

She slowly headed down the stairs, hearing teenagers cheer. Someone probably was doing a keg stand. She saw Tatum on the couch, her legs in Randys lap as some girl danced on the coffee table. “Why do they always do that?” Randy shouted in Tatum's direction.

Tatum shrugged. “They see girls in movies do it so they feel the urge. Life imitates art.”

“What’s up?” Sidney smiled, sticking her head between them.

“Sid! Did Billy get sick of you?” Tatum teased, grabbing the back of Sidney's neck.

Sidney gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I got bored,” she walked around the couch. Tatum moved her legs, letting Sidney sit down. She immediately put her legs on both Sidney and Randy.

“What do your boyfriends think about how much you two kiss?” the girl on the table asked. She was obviously drunk.

Sidney squinted at her. “Why does it matter?” Randy asks. “Friends have kissed each other since the beginning of time Linda, especially best friend's but you wouldn't know that would you?”

Tatum laughed and wiggled a bit, causing Sidney to giggle. “Oh my god,” Tatum threw her head back, resting it on the arm of the couch.

“You're a dick,” Linda frowned and jumped off the table.

Randy smiled like a maniac. “Thanks, I'll be sure to tell Tom about you swapping spit with the town geek.”

Sidney groaned. “You made out with her?”

He frowned. “She grabbed me and I thought why not,” he paused. “Mistake.”

They heard Stu make a noise as he jogged over to them. “What’s Sid doing down here?” he sat on the table.

“Billy was boring, she wanted to have some fun,” Tatum smiled.

Stu grinned wildly. “Great! Who wants to do body shots off Sidney Prescott?!” he shouted toward the kitchen.

People went wild. “No, Stu, I just wanted to hang out with Tatum,” Sidney said quickly.

Stu frowned. “No body shots?”

Sidney smiled. “No body shots.”

“Just kidding y'all!” he shouted, the crowd groaned.

Two girls holding hands walked behind the couch toward the door. Stu stood up. “We're getting an uber,” one of them assured him.

Stu nodded. “Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. Stay safe, okay,” he smiled and gestured to the door.

“Thanks Stu,” the other girl smiled and waved as they left.

Randy bit his lower lip. “Sid, you know Casey Becker right?”

Sidney nodded. “Yeah, why?”

Tatum sat up, getting closer to Sidney, impossibly close. Sidney felt her breathe. “She dumped Steven Orth and bailed.”

“Oh my god, really?” Sidney asked.

Tatum nodded. “She punched him in the face because he was asking girls for nudes,” Stu smiled.

“He deserved it,” Sidney snorted.

Tatum nodded. “Stu here thinks it doesn't count as cheating,” she rolled her eyes.

“It's not like he actually fucked them, it's porn,” Stu licked his lips.

Randy sighed. “You’re just saying that because you and Tatum have the weirdest relationship,” he grabbed a random beer from the floor and took a swig.

“It’s called an open relationship, Mr. Single-and-happy,” Tatum stuck her tongue out a bit.

Stu laughed. “He’s probably lying about being happy, thinks it gives him cool points,” he teased.

Randy gave a fake laugh. “It’s just easier being single. Watch, you'll regret spending your high school years in a relationship you didn't want to be in,” he glanced at Sidney and bit his lower lip. Sidney must have imagined the look because no one said anything about it.

“That’s why Tate and me got the open thing. Keep options open while also being with someone you like,” Stu looked at Tatum, “right?”

Tatum nodded. “Exactly. Neither of us are stuck and we get great sex whenever we want,” she smiled.

“Ugh why is that all anyone talks about? Sex this, blowjob that, blah blah blah handy,” Randy frowned.

Sidney laughed. “Billy and me don't have sex. Tatum and Stu are just rabbits.”

Randy rolled his eyes. “You and Billy are the only senior couple that don't fuck.”

“Really?” Sidney asked.

Stu shrugged. “It seems like it,” he grabbed the beer Randy drank from and finished it. “That's fine though, no one actually cares if you don't have sex.”

“Yeah! It's 2017, no one actually cares about that anymore,” Tatum smiled, rubbing Sidney's shoulder.

Randy nods. “Plus it's just easier to not give a shit. If you don't give a shit, no one gives a shit about you and what you do. The only time people care is when it affects them, or when they think it does. Sometimes people care when something doesn't affect them, like what bathroom I use,” Randy wasn’t talking about sex anymore.

“Dude, this is California, no one cares what bathroom you use. Plus if anyone gives you shit, Billy and me will take care of it,” Stu pat Randys knee.

Randy gave a soft smile. “Thanks, Stu.”

Tatum moved her feet to the table. “Stu why don’t we let these people leave on their own and we just go upstairs? I don’t want Billy to be alone,” Sidney rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke.

“Billy’s a big boy. If he’s lonely he can come down here,” Randy smiled.

Sidney sighed. “I can go check on him, you guys have fun,” Stu assured Sidney and stood up.

Sidney stood up and grabbed his shoulder. “Thanks Stu. See if he wants to come down. It might be good for him to socialize,” Stu nodded.

Sidney took her seat back on the couch and started talking with Randy and Tatum. Stu made his way upstairs. “You see modern horror will never live up to the classics. Modern ones are full of jumpscares and they don't know how to handle a plot for the life of them,” Randy began ranting.

“I dunno Randy, I think Jennifer's Body and All Cheerleaders Die are great movies,” Tatum responded.

Randy laughs, “That’s because you’re a raging bisexual.”

This made Sidney turn to Randy. “I don’t think it has anything to do with the relationships between the characters. It’s probably because Tatum loves a good femme fatale.”

Tatum pointed at Sidney. “Ding ding ding, Sidney what prize do you want? A beer, a joint, or we go to the movies on Saturday?”

“The movies. You know I don’t smoke and I can always just grab a random beer that someone left unattended,” Sidney shrugged.

“Nice, throwing caution to the wind, Sid wants to steal a random beer,” Randy laughed. “What if it’s roofied?”

Sidney rolled her eyes. “Where is a senior in high school gonna get roofies, Randy?”

“I dunno, but it happens.”

The three of them turned to the stairs as they heard two pairs of heavy footsteps. “Billy, wait,” Stu tried to grab Billy's shoulder, but he wasn't fast enough. The look on Billy’s face was menacing. Sidney couldn't describe how fearful it made her feel.

Billy ran out the front door, letting it slam behind him. The house fell silent as the playlist switched songs. Stu ran toward the front door and quickly headed out, the door slamming again. Back In Black started abruptly but everyone was still and silent.

It felt like forever before Randy broke the silence from the crowd. Back in Black was still playing from the speakers as he turned to Sidney. “I wonder what happened,” he said loud enough that only Sidney heard.

Sidney turned to him with a worried look. “I hope they're okay.”

* * *

Billy was sitting alone on the bed. Sidney had left him and he felt more comfortable without his girlfriend awkwardly petting his scalp like a dog. He stared at the television as The Shining played. The door opened as Jack Nicholson chased Shelley Duvall upstairs. Billy glanced at the door, seeing Stu walking inside.

Stu quietly closed the door and sat next to Billy on the bed. “Sid asked me to check on you,” he stated, staring at the television.

Billy groaned and sat up. “Why does she worry about me so much? I just wanted to fucking watch TV,” he grabbed the remote and turned off the television. Stu turned his head to look at Billy.

They were close. Billy could see the specks of green in Stu's blue eyes. They could have had more space between them but Billy wanted to get closer. He slowly moved his hand closer to Stu, hoping he didn't notice. “You know Sidney's a bit of a freak,” Stu said quietly, staring into Billy’s eyes.

The tension was thick. “People think I'm more of a freak than her,” Billy responded, as quiet as Stu was. He didn’t dare to break eye contact.

Stu smiled, placing his hand one Billy’s. “I never said being a freak was a bad thing. Jason Voorhees is a freak and we all love him.”

Billy slowly inched his face closer to Stu's. Billy’s eyelids dropped and before he could stop himself, his lips were against Stu's. They were like magnets, opposites stuck together. No matter how much Billy wanted to force himself to stop, he was pulled to Stu. Billy didn't care if that wasn't how magnets worked, it was how he felt.

Stu separated their lips and rested his forehead against Billy’s. “You can't tell anyone about this, Stu,” Billy whispered.

Stu gave a quiet giggle. “Did I ever tell anyone about the camping trip during summer break?”

Suddenly Billy moved away from Stu. He stood up, not in full control of his body. He felt like he was flying as he ran down the stairs and out the door. He fully realized what was happening when Stu grabbed his shoulder. On impulse he turned and punched Stu in the face. “Don't fucking touch me!” he shouted, taking a few steps back.

Stu held his nose and groaned in pain. “What the fuck is your problem, you dick?!” he shouts.

“Goddamn it,” Billy ran his hands through his hair. “You agreed to never speak a word about this summer,” he hissed.

Stu stood up straight. “It’s not like I told anyone!”

Billy took a deep breath. “Okay we gotta shut up, before someone hears us,” he stepped closer to Stu and grabbed the hand that Stu wasn't using to cover his nose. He dragged him down the driveway, far away from the house. He stopped when he was sure no one could see them. “We're good here,” he didn't let go of Stu's hand.

Stu removed his hand from his nose and looked at his palm. Crimson dripped down his nose. “Jesus,” he mumbled as he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his sweater.

Billy grabbed Stu's chin. “You're bleeding.”

“Yeah, cause you punched me in the face,” Stu grimaced.

Billy frowned. “Sorry, I lost my temper. I just… don't want anyone to know.” He didn’t actually feel bad for punching Stu. He just wanted Stu to forgive him so they didn’t have to linger on it.

Stu rolled his eyes. “Everyone at least thinks about it once.”

Billy grabbed Stu's collar and let go of his hand. He pointed at Stu's face. “No one who doesn't have some sort of issue would rather slit his girlfriend's throat than have her touch him.”

Stu laughed. “Dude that's fucked up.”

Billy frowns. “Fuck you.”

“Either you're remembering wrong or you changed your mind, but I think it was the other way around,” Stu looked Billy in the eyes.

Billy couldn't help himself. He pulled Stu closer and slammed their mouths together. He felt Stu's warm hands move under his shirt to touch his sides. He let out a heavy breath through his nose as he opened his mouth, deepening the kiss. This was the most alive Billy had felt in, well forever.

He gained enough resolve to stop and lightly push Stu away. “We gotta stop doing that,” he said, out of breath.

Stu let out another laugh. “Yeah, okay. Let's go inside,” he suggested.

Billy nodded. “Okay.”

They walked down the driveway, Billy making sure to not be too close to Stu. If he was too close, people would know there was something going on behind the scenes. Billy couldn’t let Sidney find out that he wasn’t as interested in her as he made her think. He wanted to shudder at the thought of Sidney finding out his affection for her was a sham.

They went inside, Stu leaving the front door open. “Get the fuck out,” Billy raised his voice loud enough to be heard throughout the house. Sidney raised her eyebrow at him. Stu walked up the stairs, presumably to take care of his bloody nose. At this thought, Billy wiped his face to make sure Stu’s blood didn’t rub off on him. He looked at his hand and felt an intense sense of relief when it was clean.

The house cleared in an oddly fast manner and Billy closed the door. He walked over to the chair near the couch and sat down. Randy rubbed his face and looked at Billy. “What happened?” he asked.

Billy looked Randy in the eyes and spoke carefully. “Stu... said he was jealous of what Sidney and I had and we got into an argument and it got physical,” the lie came as natural as breathing. “I’m gonna go check on him and make sure I didn’t break his nose,” he stood up, walking to the bathroom.

Tatum frowned and looked at Sidney. “Did he just imply that Stu has a thing for you?”

Sidney turned to her and gave her a slightly horrified look. “What?”


	2. Chapter 2

Tatum sat between Stu’s legs on her bed. She was scrolling through Instagram and sucking on a lollipop. Stu planted a kiss on her neck. “Do you like Sidney?” Tatum asked, taking the lollipop out of her mouth. Stu squinted and leaned his head away from her. “If you do, I don’t care because it would be hypocritical of me.”

“What do you mean? Of course I like Sidney, she’s my friend,” Stu said, confused.

Tatum elbowed him in the ribs. “Shut up, I’m asking if you have like romantic, or sexual, feelings for her, dipshit.”

Stu laughed. “You’re asking if I’m _interested_ in Sidney? Why did she say something?” he joked.

Tatum sighed and put her phone down. She moved forward and turned to him. “Billy said he punched you because you like Sidney,” she stated.

“Oh so it’s about _that_. Uh yeah I made a joke about how lucky he is to be with her and he got mad, branding me the Jolene to his Dolly Parton,” Stu said, y’know like a liar.

Tatum frowned at him. “Sorry he reacted like that. I'm glad we're free of jealousy,” she placed her hands on his cheeks, careful to make sure the lollipop didn't touch his hair. He smiled at her and she kissed him.

There was a knock on her door. “Hello?” it was Dewey.

“What?” Tatum asked, moving away from Stu.

Dewey opened the door and Stu waved. Dewey nodded in acknowledgement acknowledgement at him. “Mom said that if Stu's here the door needs to be open,” he frowned a bit at Sidney.

Tatum rolled her eyes. “We’re literally just talking.”

Dewey sighed. “If I have to keep the door open when Gale's here, you have to keep it open if he’s here.”

“I’m not a 25 year old deputy living at home with his mom even though he's dating the county's most famous reporter, now am I?” Tatum teased.

Stu laughed. “Dude she just called you out.”

“It’s not my fault the economy is bad, Tatum!” Dewey left, closing the door. He gave in to what she wanted.

* * *

 Randy was sitting on the couch in his living room. He was watching The Evil Dead and eating leftover mashed potatoes since he and his sister were home alone. Martha was in her bedroom doing her own thing and eating leftovers. Their mother was working the night shift, and they didn’t have the money to order a pizza, since Randy wasn’t getting paid until the next day.

There was a knock on the door, and Randy placed the tupperware on the coffee table. He stood up and walked to the door. He wasn’t expecting anyone, so he thought that perhaps his sister had invited a friend over. “Martha!” he shouted. There was another knock.

Martha left her room. “What?”

“Are you expecting company?” he asked.

Martha gave him a confused look. There was another knock and they both looked at the door. “Randy! It's Sidney, open up!”

Randy let out a sigh of relief. Martha rolled her eyes and went back in her bedroom as Randy got up. “Just as sec, Sid.”

Sidney gave him a smile when her opened the door. “Hey can I uh talk to you for a bit? I had to get out of the house and something has been bugging me.”

Randy nodded and let her in, closing the door. “Don't you usually go to Tatum when you're like this?” he wasn't angry or upset, just confused. He had always been a bit jealous of how close everyone else was compared to him. Stu was the one that spent the most time with him since they started high school. Stu didn't even spend a lot of time with him. Stu split most of his time between Tatum and Billy, when he wasn't talking to everyone with a heart beat. Randy spent most of his time alone. Sidney would hang out with Tatum most of the time unless she and Billy decided to spend a couple hours doing god knows what while being drenched in awkward tension. Billy only talked to him because they had known each other for so long and Sidney enjoyed spending time with Randy. In short, Randy was used to being either the fifth wheel or alone. It didn't bother him, aside from the jealousy and loneliness, but he had movies and work to keep his mind off that.

Sidney sat on the arm of the couch. “She’s hanging out with Stu,” she ran a hand through her hair.

Randy nodded and sat down, looking at her. He gave her his full attention. “Okay, so I'm guessing this is about Billy.”

She turned to him, her feet on the cushion. “What makes you say that?” she asked.

“Well your list of who you talk to about things goes Tatum, Billy, your parents, then me,” Randy stated, using his fingers to list. “And you don't really _talk_ about important stuff with Stu because why would anyone trust _him_ with that. Tatum's busy, and you would talk to either your parents or Billy if it was about anything aside from the nut job,” he paused. “No offense.”

Sidney gave a nervous chuckle. “None taken. Okay so, it is about Billy, but it's also about you,” Randy hoped she was gonna say what he always wanted to hear. “Billy said that he and Stu got in a fight, because Stu _likes_ me,” she began, “and it got me thinking about how Billy and I are like magnets, but not like _opposite_ sides, y'know.”

“Both positive or negative, therefore repelling each other instead of attracting?”

Sidney nodded. “We get close but we always pull back. I grabbed his arm and he pulled back like he got burned.”

Randy didn't know why this was important. Unless she was going to say she broke up with Billy and decided to date him. “Okay,” he decided to say.

“Then it got me thinking about how he doesn’t seem to _care_ that you like me,” Sidney looked at the floor.

Randy took a deep breath. He was staring at Sidney, too scared to look away. “What do you think that means? Do you think one day he’ll snap and beat the shit out of me?”

Sidney looks at him with a confused and slightly shocked face. “No. I was thinking he was lying. Why do you think he’d hurt you?”

Randy looked her in the eyes. “Why do you think he was lying?” he knew it was petty to answer a question with a question, but he didn’t want to say that he loved her. He couldn’t. He didn’t want to make their friendship weird and he couldn’t handle the rejection if she turned him down. He just wanted a bit of hope.

Sidney gave a reassuring smile. The expression lasted a second but Randy would cherish it. “Okay, so his excuse makes no sense considering you,” she paused gesturing wildly with her hand. “Plus, he’s not possessive of me _at all_ , in fact he doesn’t even seem to want to be near me,” she paused, licking her lips and sort of freezing. “It’s gotten to the point where I’ve been talking to Tatum about possibly breaking up with him.”

“Why haven’t you?” Randy felt an intense sense of relief thinking about the possibility of her asking him out after they break up.

Sidney placed her hair behind her ears. “We’ve been together for so long that no matter how he acts I know that he doesn’t want to end it. I know he wouldn’t cheat on me because he hasn’t even _looked_ at other girls, especially not with the… way he _stares_ at me. We basically decided we would get married if we were still together after I finished college.”

Randy made sure not to show the sadness he felt. He felt sick. Sidney and Billy decided about _marriage_? If they were truly in love he needed to get rid of his feelings for Sidney. He knew it would take a long time, but he had to. He took a deep breath. “What’s the reason you want to break up with him then? I mean you’re considering spending your entire life with him.”

She sighed. “He’s very volatile. He gets heated very easily about small things that normal people are mildly annoyed about but he doesn’t seem to _understand_ my feelings. Plus he’s just very intimidating, it's kind of… scary.”

Randy didn't know how to react. To him it sounded like a civilian on a crime show explaining the behaviors of a sociopathic murder suspect. Hell, it sounded like someone describing Patrick Bateman while being super fucking vague. Randy took a deep breath, placed his hand on hers and gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m sure it's just a minor character flaw from being an angsty teenager. It's not like there's any unsolved murders that he could be affiliated with.”

Sidney gave a light chuckle. “Yeah, okay.”

Randy wasn’t the type of person to ruin a relationship. He decided that he would help Sidney through her issues with Billy so she could be happy with him. “You do know that you can come to me with this stuff at any time, right?”

“Tatum probably would have just said that I should break up with him, so thank you.”

Randy silently wished she went to Tatum and listened to what she said. Sidney was too good for Billy. He was a creep who only cared about himself. Sidney was getting closer to seeing that, until Randy fucked it up by telling her everything was okay.

* * *

 Billy sat at the dinner table with his parents. His mother was staring at his father. Debbie was an angry woman, Billy didn't yet know why, he just knew that her anger was contagious. Soon, he was mirroring her angry stare and they both ate with a hatred that was indescribable. He didn't even know why he was angry, he just was. It was a normal thing for him to be unnecessarily angry. He had a constant fire burning inside him.

“So, Billy, how's Sidney?” his father interrupted the silence.

Billy froze for angry second. “She’s okay,” he awkwardly replied.

Debbie turned her head to look at him, she squinted a bit. “Did something happen?”

He knew he couldn’t hide his discomfort. His mother could read him just as well as he could read Sidney. “Uh I was wondering if I could get her a ring,” he also knew that his parents wanted him to have a wife.

Hank choked on his food, slamming his fist on the table. Debbie straightened up and gave Billy a wide eyed stare. “A ring? Do you mean a promise ring?”

Billy left his face blank and he glanced at the food on his table. The spaghetti sauce being interrupted with noodles and oregano. “An engagement ring, actually,” he moved the pasta around on his plate with his fork.

“Son, you're 17. Marriage is quite the commitment,” Hank said after washing down the shock with a sip of wine.

Billy looked at him, only moving his eyes. He didn't know how menacing he looked. “We won't actually get married until she finishes college,” he states.

Debbie gave an amused laugh. “After _she_ finishes college? Darling, it should be _you_ going to college and her staying home and being a good wife.”

Billy didn't understand this suggestion. Debbie had her own job. Hank had an office job and she had a different one. They worked different days for different companies. They were almost never home at the same time. “Why? Maybe I want to take care of the kids.”

Hank coughed again. “Kids?! Is Sidney pregnant?” Hank sounded terrified.

Billy laughed. “No, we have never had sex, if she was it wouldn't be my kid and I’d stab her in the uterus to make sure both she and the thing died.”

Debbie smiled. “Good, good.”

Hank looked back and forth between them with wide eyes. “What about any of this is good?!”

“Well, it makes _you_ upset so it's amazing, honey,” Debbie took a sip of her wine.


	3. Chapter 3

Sidney was laying on the couch, her legs in her mother's lap, as they watched Homeward Bound. Her father, Neil, was out of town for a business trip so it was just the two of them. Sidney was waiting for Tatum to arrive so they could get Chinese takeout for dinner. “Billy’s dad called earlier. He told me something _very_ interesting, but said I can't tell you,” Maureen stated when the movie was interrupted with a commercial.

Sidney looked at her, squinting. “Why did Billy’s _dad_ call you?”

Sidney may have imagined it but she swore her mother went a bit red at the question. “Okay, I’ll tell you _but_ you gotta act surprised when Billy brings it up,” she turned so she didn't have to crane her neck. Sidney sat up and hugged her knees.

“I promise.”

“They're gonna go ring shopping this weekend,” Maureen smiled. Sidney didn't know what she was talking about. Ring shopping? Why would Henry take Billy ring shopping? The confusion must have been evident on her face, so Maureen clarified. “Engagement ring shopping! Billy is gonna propose!”

Sidney didn't know why her mother was so excited. “Okay?” she furrowed her brows and looked at the television. Disney was advertising some dumb new sitcom about dumb white teenagers saying things no actual teenager would say.

Maureen made a face that was equal parts disappointed and sad. “Is that all you have to say? ‘Okay?’ Sid, your boyfriend wants to marry you. He wants to spend his whole life with you, and all you have to say is _okay_?”

Sidney gave her mother and exasperated look. “We already talked about marriage. He's probably just getting the ring so everyone knows we’re together. Y'know, he punched _Stu_ for jokingly implying he was even remotely interested in me.”

Maureen scoffed a bit. “Your father did the same thing to some dude at a bar in the 98. It's just a macho man thing that guys do when they're in love. It's something in their nature, they just wanna protect what's theirs.”

“He doesn't _own_ me, mom. He knows this. It just makes me a bit uncomfortable that he resorts to violence over one comment from his _best friend._ Did dad ever punch his best friend in the face?” Sidney replied, getting a bit angry.

There was a knock on the front door and the tension dissipated. Maureen stood up. “I'll get it,” she gently pat Sidney's knee and walked to the front door. Sidney watched as the door opened. She didn't know the man at the door, and she didn't hear what he said. He was staring at Maureen as though she hung the moon. Sidney was very uncomfortable. Maureen stepped outside and closed the door. Sidney didn't know what was happening, but she decided to go to her room and wait. She had seen the movie enough times to quote scenes without mistake, and Disney’s commercials weren't like they used to be.

Sidney was reading The Scarlet Letter when Tatum opened her bedroom door about half an hour later. “Ready to get that Chinese food?” she asked, smiling.

Sidney didn't bother to bookmark the page. The book was a classic but it made her uncomfortable. The thought of shaming a woman simply for having sex before getting married was disgusting. She guessed that was the point, but she didn't wish to continue reading the novel. She would have to ask Billy for one of his novels since she was bored with her collection and her mother only had romance novels.

She got out of bed and put on her shoes. “Yeah, let's go,” she grabbed her purse and took her phone off the charger, slipping it in her back pocket. They headed downstairs, letting Maureen know they'd be back soon, and started walking. It wasn’t hot out, but Sidney wished she hadn’t worn a flannel over a long sleeve shirt. It worked out okay because Tatum got cold, asking Sidney to borrow her flannel. Sidney suddenly felt her face heat up when Tatum put on the shirt.

Her best friend was wearing her flannel with a crop top and alien print leggings. Most people couldn’t pull off what she wears, but Tatum loved dressing like she was in a 90s sitcom. Sidney wasn’t blind, she knew that Tatum was gorgeous. She wasn’t jealous of her, she didn’t have the same fashion taste as her. She just loved her confidence and couldn’t stop from appreciating the other girl.

“I got something to tell you,” Sidney said after they placed their order. They were sitting at a table waiting for the food. She took a deep breath and told Tatum that she and Billy were officially engaged. She strangely felt her stomach turn as she stuttered through her words. She felt like telling Tatum was a bad decision as soon as her mouth opened. The words fell out and she regretted them. It wasn’t just the words she regretted, it was the decision. She didn’t know why she felt so weird telling this to her.

Tatum took a second to lick her lips. “You’re serious? You and Billy are engaged now?” Sidney didn’t understand the look in Tatum’s eyes. It paired well with the strange feeling she had.

Sidney nodded. “Yeah, he and his dad are gonna buy a ring this weekend,” her voice was rough and she couldn’t look Tatum in the eyes anymore. She didn’t understand why this was so difficult. She wished she understood.

“I guess you’ve found the Perfect Guy. Mr. Right is Billy Loomis. He’s kinda perfect but with that bad boy flare, although in real life it’s kinda creepy,” Tatum raised her eyebrows and smirked a bit.

Sidney felt a smile spread on her face. Tatum’s smile was beautiful, but Sidney still was a bit uncomfortable with the conversation. She didn’t want to seem like she was acting strange, so she decided she would just power through. “Creepy? You think he’s creepy?” she gave a small laugh.

Tatum rolled her eyes. “The way he stares at you is just gross. It’s like he’s studying you in case he’s gonna get tested on every last detail about you. I don’t understand how that’s appealing. It reminds me of a serial killer.”

Sidney furrowed her brows. “I think it’s what everyone in the movies describes as a _loving_ stare. I don’t get how that’s creepy?” she rubbed her forehead.

“The difference is that he has no feeling in his eyes. It’s like looking a dead body in the eyes,” Tatum grimaced and waved her hand in front of her face. “It’s blank.”

Sidney laughed. The gesture was endearing, and Sidney hated to use this word, but it was adorable. “I like what you did right there,” she imitated the gesture.

“Stop it,” Tatum laughed, lowering Sidney’s hand.

They were interrupted by the woman behind the counter calling out their order. They paid and headed out the door. Sidney was sort of relieved to no longer be talking about her relationship with Billy.

* * *

Tatum didn't know how to feel when Sidney told her that she and Billy were _officially_ engaged, and that he was even getting her a ring. Just the day before, Sidney was saying that she wanted to break up with him. She was calling him creepy, and Tatum was agreeing, encouraging her. For a reason unknown, Tatum felt betrayed. She knew why she was jealous; Billy, the guy that can be described through the song Pumped Up Kicks, is the subject of Sidney's affections. It should be her. She didn't want to get too Taylor Swift, but she knew that Billy wasn’t right for Sidney, and that she belonged with her. However, she didn't know why she felt betrayed. Perhaps it was because she felt a flicker of hope when Sidney smiled and layed on the other twin sized bed in Tatum's bedroom. Perhaps it was because she had fallen in love with that smile.

As soon as she left the Prescott residence she felt tears streaming down her face. She got in the passenger seat in Dewey’s car. He asked why she was crying. She looked out the window and took a deep breath. “We watched a sad movie, it's nothing I'm just a sucker for sad movies,” she lied. She couldn't tell him the real reason. She was ashamed that she had to lie. She hated lying. She just couldn't let her feelings for Sidney become common knowledge. She wasn't Randy for God's sake. She wiped the tears off her face. “Can we stop by Stu's house? I want to tell him something and my phone's dead,” she wasn't lying.

Dewey nodded. “Yeah,” his voice was gruff. He was worried. He must have known it was a lie.

Dewey parked at the end of Stu's driveway and Tatum got out. She tried to compose herself as she walked to the door. It wasn't working, if anything it was making her cry even harder. She didn't bother knocking, she was always welcome and Stu was home alone anyways. She closed the front door and saw him sprawled out on the couch, his leg hanging on the back. He looked at her, hearing the door. He rolled off the couch and stood upon seeing the tears.

Before he could ask what was wrong, Tatum dropped her purse and ran to him. She clinged onto him as if her life depended on it. He wrapped her in a tight hug. “They're engaged. They're gonna get married and there's nothing I can do about it,” she let out a sob and pressed her face against his shirt.

“Who? Gale and Dewey?” Stu was confused and he said some stupid things sometimes.

Tatum pounced her fist against his chest. He winced. “No, dumbass. Billy and Sid.”

Stu immediately tensed, his arms falling to his sides. Tatum took a step back and rubbed her face with the cuffs of Sidney's flannel. She had said she would return it the next day. She didn't want to anymore. She wanted to keep it and feel the warmth. It smelled like her.

“You're not joking?” Stu's voice was stiff.

Tatum gave him a shocked and angry look. “Why would I be joking? I'm literally crying! I'm not you, not everything is a fucking joke to me!” she took another step away from him. “Why are you upset, huh? You like Sidney more than you let on?”

Stu made a disgusted face. “No!” he paused, trying to figure out what to say. “It’s just weird. We've known them forever and it just hit me that we’re growing up…” he furrowed his brows. “Why are you so upset? You're fucking sobbing.”

“Jesus do you not _listen_ to anything I say?! I love her! I'm in love with Sidney!”

That was the first time she had ever verbalized that. Stu’s face fell. His face appeared betrayed. He looked at the floor. “Wow so you're not in love with me?”

Tatum scoffed. “As if you're in love with me?”

Stu looked at her, a smile on his face. Tatum couldn't describe the smile. It terrified her. It was like looking at the Joker. His eyes were emotionless. “You're right, I'm not. All you are is a warm body I can have fun with,” he raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to her. She took a step back. “What's the matter? Can't handle the truth?”

Tatum felt like she was having a nightmare. She turned and grabbed her purse. She bolted out the door, down the driveway to Dewey’s car. She was no longer crying, but she was shaking.

* * *

Stu was numb. He shook his hand as he waiting for the door to the Loomis residence to open. He rang the doorbell a few seconds prior, after pacing in front of the garage deciding if he really was ready to talk to Billy. It was dark out but he didn’t care. He knew Billy was awake, the dude was as much of an insomniac as him. He rang the doorbell again. The door swung open. Billy stood in front of him, an aggravated expression on his face. “Are your parents up?” Stu asked.

Billy shook his head and stepped outside, closing the door. “No, they went to bed an hour ago.”

Stu punched him in the face. Billy groaned and held his face. “That’s what you get for proposing to the bitch,” Stu spat, taking several steps back.

“Jesus christ Stu! Are you insane?!” Billy shoved him.

Stu scoffed. “Obviously you are if you think you can just _marry_ Sidney,” he hissed.

Stu knew it wasn’t a good idea to wake up Billy’s parents. Billy was seething, which made sense considering Stu had just punched him. At least he knew how Stu felt. “What the fuck are you talking about?” Billy’s face was filled with rage.

“Tatum told me, congrats on telling her before me you fucking dick,” Stu was smiling, even though he was far from happy.

Billy tilted his head and furrowed his brows. “That skank knows?” he straightened up and clenched his jaw. “I’m gonna fucking kill Sidney she didn’t keep her mouth shut.”

Stu rolled his eyes. “Wow so you wanted your little bitch to keep your marriage a secret? You treating her like you treat me?”

Billy was fuming. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Oh Billy Loomis has a big fat _gay_ crush on me, shh don’t tell Sidney,” Stu raised his arms and wiggled his hands, his eyes wide as he taunted the other boy.

Billy took a big step forward and threw his fist, attempting to punch Stu. Before the fist landed, Stu grabbed him by wrapping his arms around Billy’s waist, lunging forward and tackling him, both landing on the grass. “Get off me,” Billy was struggling under Stu. He pushed Stu and rolled in the opposite direction. “Fuck.”

Stu landed on his back, next to Billy. He took a deep breath and placed his hands on his head. He dug his fingers into his scalp and bent his knees, looking up at the sky. He bit the insides of his cheeks. He felt hot tears streaming down his face. “Fuck you, Billy. Seriously, fuck you. I hate you so fucking much.”

Billy turned his head and looked at him. He was breathing heavily. “Sure you do. That’s why you’re crying because I’m engaged to someone and it isn’t you.”

Stu laughed. “Exactly.”


	4. Chapter 4

The ring was beautiful. Randy had to admit that when he saw it on Sidney’s finger his first thought was that it looked nice on her. It had a thin band and five small diamonds. Randy just wished he was the one to give it to her. He noticed the look on Tatum’s face when she saw it. Oddly it matched how he felt. The expression only lasted a second. She must have been jealous, wishing Stu gave her one just like it.

Randy was at work that night, thinking about how he needed to stop himself from being jealous, when Stu walked into the shop. Randy was restocking the shirts for a band he didn’t even care about when he felt a person press against his back. He felt warm breath against his neck. He immediately knew it was Stu. “What do you want?” he asked, not looking away from what he was doing.

“Just wanted to check on mister Hot Topic. See what the geek was doing,” Stu teased.

Randy scoffed and turned. Stu was standing very close to him, but he was used to it. It was how Stu tried to take control of any situation. Randy just started walking to the other area he had to restock. “Very funny. Are you gonna buy something?”

Stu grabbed one of the boxes Randy was holding. It had a necklace, Supernatural merchandise. “Tatum will like this,” he stated, looking at the pentagram necklace.

Randy sighed. “Someone’s fandom is another's fashion statement.”

Stu chuckled. “I don’t know what that means but good one.”

“Why are you really here?” Randy asked, putting the necklaces in the small box they belonged in.

Stu put his arm around Randy’s shoulder and leaned his head against him. “Just wanted to see how you were taking the news that Sidney is officially never going to go out with you,” he stated. His voice was playful but if Randy saw his face he would be looking a venomous snake in the eyes.

Randy rolled his eyes. “Ha ha, kick a man while he’s down. Hey, Tatum looked kinda jealous, why don’t you pop her the question and make that official too. Teen marriage seems to be in this year.”

Stu genuinely laughed. “You think I’m gonna marry _Tatum_? As if.”

Randy turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “Who are you? Alicia Silverstone?” he joked. “But really, what makes you say that?”

“Tatum really isn’t my type, I’m just dating her because she’s easy to have sex with,” Stu shrugged.

Randy gave him a concerned expression. “You are a real piece of work, y’know that Stu?” Stu laughed. Randy didn’t know how to react so he shifted the subject. “If Tatum isn’t your type, then who is?” Randy hoped the answer wasn’t Sidney.

Stu scratched his head. He took a second to think, Randy didn’t blame him. “Brunette, brown eyes, and can throw a punch,” he informed. Randy felt his stomach turn. He was definitely describing Sidney. He knew from experience.

_They were ten and it was summer. It was Tatum’s birthday, and they were in her backyard celebrating. Dewey was awkwardly flirting with Gale Weathers, a wannabe journalist in his English class. Billy and Stu were talking with Sidney and Tatum, standing and eating cake. Randy was standing with the group, they were standing in a circle._

_“Ready for school next month?” Sidney smiled, her teeth coated with blue icing._

_Stu laughed, his mouth in the same state. “Sure, Smurfette,” he teased. Sidney furrowed her brows, and Stu licked his lips. He grabbed what was left of her cake and shoved it on her face._

_Taum gasped loudly as Sidney dropped her plate. Billy and Randy took a step back, Randy pulling Tatum back with him. Sidney looked at Stu, and the moment was as if it was in slow motion. Sidney pulled her arm back, her hand balled in a fist. Before Randy could blink, she landed a punch directly on Stu’s jaw._

_“Sidney!” Dewey shouted, finally noticing the commotion._

Randy vividly remembered that day. It was the first time he had seen Sidney use violence in reaction to something. It was the first time he had seen violence in person. He got a taste of what he saw on screen when staying up late and sneaking to the living room to watch a horror movie on Halloween. He didn’t like remembering it because it was part of the past where he would rather forget, having not known who he was at the time. That part of him was dead, aside from his long time crush on Sidney.

* * *

Senior year was coming to a close, and Sidney was getting responses from colleges. She grabbed the envelope from Windsor college and placed it aside, waiting to open it with Randy at school. Tatum and Stu didn't apply to college, preferring to just take what jobs they could. Tatum had sent requests to modelling agencies while Stu sent requests to acting agencies, trying to become a comedian. Billy hadn't needed to apply to colleges or send in job applications. His father had already gotten him a paid internship at his business.

Sidney was happy for Billy, he got a job before anyone else if you didn't count Randy's job at Hot Topic. Randy had been fired twice already, the first time was for frequently being late or just ditching work altogether. He had begged for his job back, explaining that he was having medical issues, having had a major surgery and that he shouldn't have even applied because he was still recovering. After he was healed he got the job back. The second time he was fired was because Stu had started an argument with him. Randy got angry and shouted, causing a commotion. They fired him for ‘shouting at a customer’. A couple weeks later that manager quit and Randy reapplied, knowing the new manager already liked him.

Billy didn't have to worry about going through the struggles Randy went through. His father gave him the job, calling it an early wedding present, so that Billy could “support his wife”. The thought made Sidney's stomach turn but there was nothing she could do. Billy had old fashioned parents, they had asked Sidney if she was sure she wanted to go to college. They suggested she be a stay at home mother. Sidney had explained that she wanted to help people, and that she was applying to Windsor College’s law program, planning on minoring in drama. Debbie had rolled her eyes saying that she was too pretty to be a lawyer. Billy scoffed saying “Let her do what she wants, okay.”

Sidney was sitting in the courtyard with tatum, waiting for Randy so they could open their letters together. Tatum was wearing a short skirt and a short sleeved turtleneck. Sidney kept finding herself glancing at her soft skin. Her beautiful brown eyes contrasting with her bleached blonde hair and pale skin. “I finally got an agent,” she smiled.

“That’s great! Have you gotten any jobs yet?” Sidney was happy to hear the good news. Tatum was one step closer to living her dream.

Tatum nodded. “Yeah it’s a small thing for an Old Navy poster. It pays though so what can I do, at least it’s not Walmart.”

Before Sidney could ask when she had to go, she saw Randy walking with his sister. Randy looked like he was going to say something to Martha, but she ran to her group of friends. He sighed and kind of deflated. He was holding an envelope as he walked towards Sidney and Tatum. She saw Stu and Billy walking together quite a distance behind Randy. They were talking and laughing. Sidney doesn’t think she has ever seen Billy so animated. The interaction reminded her of her and Tatum.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Randy sat on the other side of her. “Let’s hope it’s good news,” he smiled.

Sidney turned, placing her hand in Randy’s. “God I’m so nervous,” she laughed. Randy squeezed her hand and she didn’t dare look at him. He let go of her hand and they both carefully opened the envelopes. They took the papers out and Sidney noticed she was shaking. She unfolded the paper and froze, a wide smile on her face when she saw “Congratulations” on the top of the page.

“Holy shit,” Randy was breathless. “I got in,” Sidney looked at him, a smile on both of their faces.

Randy wrapped her in a hug. “We did it,” she felt tears of joy streaming down her face.

Tatum joined them, wrapping herself around Sidney, her hands on Randy’s shoulders. “I’m so proud of you guys,” she swayed them a bit.

They were interrupted by Billy and Stu standing in front of them. “What’s the sitch?” Stu chuckled as Billy plopped an M&M in his mouth.

Tatum let go of her and Randy did the same. Sidney turned to them, wiping the tears off her face. “Windsor accepted both of us,” she couldn’t help the smile on her face.

Billy gave them a smile. “Nice, what’s Randy studying?”

“Filmmaking, dumbass,” Randy rolled his eyes.

Stu laughed. “So you’re _not_ studying How To Be Emo? Wow spread the word.”

Tatum slapped his hand. “Be nice.”

“Oh it’s not a problem. Stu did you hear back from the clown college?” Randy raised his eyebrows, a playful smirk on his face.

“Yeah they said they would have loved to take you but they were full of enough virgins,” Billy backhanded Stu in the stomach. “Ow, it was a joke.”

Sidney stood up, putting her bag on her shoulder. “Don’t wanna be late, let’s head inside.”

Randy and Tatum stood up and followed her inside. Billy and Stu watched them leave, staying behind for a reason unknown to the other three. Sidney lead the way to their lockers. “Is it just me or are they acting weirder than usual?” Tatum asked when she knew they were out of earshot.

Randy scoffed. “Weirder than usual? I don’t know if that’s possible.”

“I mean they’re alone a lot more than usual,” Sidney stated as she unlocked her locker.

Randy leaned against his, and Tatum unlocked hers. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“I know what she means,” Tatum stated. “They spend a lot more time just the two of them. We used to go on double dates like once a week and now we separate half way through and instead of it being by couple, they go do something stupid and then Sid and I go to my place and play board games.”

“Wow nice so no one thought to invite me to play board games after your dates went south. Thanks guys I can really feel the love,” Randy nodded, turning to his locker to avoid looking at them or letting them see the hurt on his face.

Sidney felt awful. “We do it the days you work on weekends. It’s just so we have something to do while you’re at work,” she informed. It wasn’t entirely a lie.

Randy nodded. “I bet,” he was still upset. “Well I better head to class. Don’t wanna be late,” he closed his locker, not entirely slamming it. He didn’t want to draw attention to them, but he wanted to show them that he was upset. He locked his locker and headed to class.

“Nice one Tatum,” Sidney sighed. She moved her bangs aside and closed her locker.

Tatum snorted. “It’s not like I would know he would react like that.”

Sidney knew it wasn’t Tatum’s fault, but she knew that Randy didn’t totally feel comfortable being the fifth wheel. “Sorry, I just feel bad for him,” she rubbed her temple.

Tatum placed her hand on Sidney’s back. “He should know that we love him by now. It’s not like we exclude him on purpose. He’s just the only one with an actual job. We’ll probably all be busy this summer.”

“I mean, he’s be our friend since elementary school. He probably feels bad that we paired off and he’s alone,” Sidney sighed. “Do you think we should get him a girlfriend?”

Tatum laughed. “I don’t think he wants one.”

“We can talk about this after school,” Sidney gave her a one armed hug and walked into class.

The day felt impossibly long. Sidney had to keep herself from talking to Tatum alone at lunch. She decided to talk to Randy about their plans for Windsor. They both were going to live on campus, a requirement for freshmen. Sidney’s father had saved up money for tuition and living costs so she had to get a job to afford food. Randy said he would talk to his manager about setting up an interview. Sidney politely declined, having no knowledge of anything sold in that store or what the target shoppers liked. He understood, laughing and suggesting she apply for Aeropostle. He told her that his manager was friends with the manager there. Sidney thanked him.

Stu informed them that he had landed an agent. Billy was silent, probably thinking to himself about how everyone else had to work hard for the opportunities they had. At least Sidney hoped that was what he was thinking about.

* * *

Billy was eating his lunch, watching Stu talk. He felt his chest get heavy as he looked at Stu’s lips. He looked up at the sky, forcing himself to stop. People could be watching. They were sitting on the edge of the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Sidney was sitting between his legs, leaning against his chest. He laid back, leaning on his elbow.

He heard his mother’s voice in his head. _Don’t look at him like that, people will think you’re a flamer._ He looked at the water, preparing himself to join the conversation. He waited for an in.

“Hey, Billy, you wanna come over after school? We gotta work on that project,” Stu gave him the perfect opportunity.

Billy looked at him. “Yeah, if you show up to my car ten minutes after the final bell rings, it’ll be your head on a platter.”

“Will it be silver? Or gold like that ring?” Randy teased.

Stu snorted. “It’ll be copper plated because the dude wants to spend all his money on his fiancee.”

“If by spending his money you mean spending his daddy’s money, then you hit the nail right on it’s head,” Randy smiled.

“At least I have someone that loves me,” Billy looked Randy directly in the eyes.

Randy’s face went pale and he looked at the ground. Sidney grabbed her bag off the ground and stood up. She grabbed Randy’s hand and pulled him away. “Oh good one, Billy. Totally ruin the kids self esteem,” Tatum gave her food to Stu and got up, following after them.

Billy didn’t understand why they were so upset. Stu let out a laugh. “Can you believe them? They can’t take a fucking joke,” he laughed, turning to Billy.

They both sat up, impossibly close. “He’s gotta get out more.”

Sidney pulled Randy into an empty classroom. “Hey hey hey, Randy. Don’t listen to him. He’s an idiot,” she was looking him in the eyes, her hands on his face.

The door opened. Sidney recognized Tatum’s footsteps. “Hey buddy,” she said softly.

“I love you Randy,” that got him to look up from the floor, looking her in the eyes. “Tatum loves you. We love you so much. I don’t know what my life would be like without you. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have a girlfriend or a boyfriend or a partner or whatever. You matter.”

Randy licked his lips. “Yeah.”

Sidney gave him a small smile. “You’re gonna be an amazing filmmaker, you will be loved world wide someday.”

They went a little overboard making Randy feel better. He had to tell them he was getting a bit uncomfortable. Sidney awkwardly laughed and the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. Sidney swore that she went to the rest of her classes for the day but she didn’t remember anything that happened during them. She was walking with Tatum to their bus when she realized she had no idea what happened between then and lunch. “Who do you wanna set Randy up with?” Tatum asked.

Sidney bit her lip, thinking. “I mean Casey and Steve broke up. Do you think Randy might like her?” she suggested.

Tatum snorted. “Has Randy ever shown any interest in Casey Becker?”

Sidney titled her head. “I see your point. Do we know anyone that has tried to date him?”

“No. Sid, I don’t know if we should do this. Randy seems perfectly content being single.”

Sidney sighed and sat on their usual seat. She rubbed her forehead. “Fuck.”


	5. Chapter 5

It was high school graduation. Sidney cried as she hugged Dewey. She wouldn’t see her second family as often as she wanted. Tatum hugged both of Sidney’s parents. Martha hugged both of them at the same time, congratulating them. Randy gave Dewey a hug, no tears in his eyes. He gave Sidney’s parents a handshake. Billy and Stu were talking with the Loomis’s. Actually, they were being lectured, saying that they should have applied to colleges. Stu’s parents were waiting in their car, not wanting to deal with the crowd.

Sidney got the job at Aeropostle. She had already told her manager that when school starts she would need to change her work schedule to not interfere with classes. She was on her lunch break, sitting in the food court with Randy. He bought them burgers and fries. “Thanks, I didn’t want to ask my dad for money, and I want to save some money for school,” Sidney said as she picked up a few fries.

“It’s not a problem. I’ve got enough saved up that it isn’t a big deal,” Randy smiled, taking a bite of his burger. Sidney felt bad depending on Randy for lunch. She didn’t want him to spend his money on her. “How’s your first week of actually working?” he asked.

She had finished being trained, and was now a cashier. “It was fine. I’ve got some cool coworkers. The other cashier is really cute,” she raised her eyebrows and smiled.

Randy let out a small chuckle. “Yeah there are a lot of pretty people working with me too. Though they kinda go a little overboard with dressing edgy,” he took a sip of his drink.

Sidney laughed. “Oh yeah I saw one of your coworkers earlier. She looked like she was going to a Marilyn Manson concert.”

Randy snorted. “I see that every time I go to work.”

They carried on talking and laughing. Sidney was glad that she got to spend more time with Randy. She knew he was lonely, especially with her spending time with Billy, making plans for living arrangements after they get married. She knew she didn’t want to spend her whole life living with her parents and she for damn sure wasn’t going to live with his parents.

Billy was already in her bedroom, waiting for her to get home from work. He was laying on her bed, half asleep and watching Nightmare on Elm Street. She didn’t know how he could do that. She closed the door and took off her shoes. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she unbuttoned her shirt. She was going to change into her nightgown.

He didn’t even look away from the television. “Your dad invited me to have dinner with him and said I could stay and wait for you,” he yawned. “Your dad is very boring.”

Sidney chuckled as she got changed. “Well alright. Why did he want to have dinner with you?” she asked, laying next to him.

He scratched his head. “Some bullshit about making sure I wouldn't break your heart. Same conversation we had at prom, and homecoming,” he paused, thinking. “ _And_ when we first started dating.”

She turned to him, not wanting to watch the movie. “Why did he think things would change?”

He shrugged. “I’m so fucking tired. Is it cool if I crash here?”

Sidney sat up. “Let me ask my parents,” she yawned as she got out of bed.

“I’ll text my dad,” he sat up and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Sidney walked out of the room, hearing the television on in the living room. She walked down the stairs and saw her dad on the couch. “Hey, dad.”

He turned the volume down and looked at her. “Hey, Sid.”

“Billy’s upstairs, is it okay if he spends the night?” Sidney pointed with her thumb.

Neil sat up. “Leave the door open and there better be no funny business.”

Sidney rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to worry.”

“Really? I mean you’re getting older. Of course I’m going to worry. Especially about that. I don’t want a baby to interfere with you going to college,” when Neil said that Sidney felt her stomach turn. The thought was indescribably uncomfortable.

“Dad, I’m serious. We won’t do anything,” Sidney assured him. She was serious.

Neil took a deep breath. “Goodnight. Love you.”

Sidney smiled. “Love you too,” she turned and headed back up the stairs.

When she opened her bedroom door, Billy was laying on the bed and facing the door. He was scrolling through something on his phone. His face was blank and he looked bored. Sidney was used to that expression on his face. It was a constant throughout the entire time she knew him. When they dissected frogs together in biology he had the same blank face, but his eyes showed the most interest and focus that she had ever seen coming from him. The only time she had seen that much interest in him was when he was watching a horror movie.

“My dad said it’s okay as long as we keep the door open,” Sidney informed him.

He looked at her. “My mom said it’s okay. I just have to text her or my dad when I wake up.”

Sidney was nervous. She didn’t know why. This was the first time Billy had spent the night at her house. She got in bed and looked him in the eyes. “Hi,” she whispered.

Billy gave her a small smile that didn’t match his eyes. “Is it okay if I take my jeans off? They’re impossible to sleep in,” his face fell and Sidney noticed the bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t had the best week sleep wise.

“Yeah, so whatever to get comfortable. I need to brush my teeth,” she sat up and left. She could not be in the room while he took his pants off. She couldn’t breathe and she felt like her stomach was going to rise and fall out of her mouth. She brushed her teeth, unable to look her reflection in the eye.

When she reentered her bedroom, Billy was under the blanket, laying on his back and scrolling through his phone. The light was off and the only light came from Billy’s phone and the window. He had turned off the TV, knowing she hated horror movies. She took a deep breath and got in bed, seeing Billy’s boxer briefs as she lifted the blanket and got comfortable. She felt her stomach turn. She didn't understand her feelings, just that they weren't good. She hoped it was normal.

She assumed it was because of the lack of clothing that she and Billy both had. She decided to take a risk and turned to him. She stared at his eyelashes. His eyes and eyelashes reminded her of Tatum from this angle. With that thought she was calmer. Billy turned off his phone and placed it on the nightstand between his side of the bed and the wall. He turned to her. “Hey,” he whispered.

Sidney was glad the door was open. She didn’t want Billy to try to take advantage of the situation. There was no way she would let him get anywhere near her underwear. “Hi,” she whispered back.

Billy awkwardly looked her in the eyes. Sidney didn’t know what the look meant. “Can I kiss you?” Billy asked. His eyes were blank. She assumed it was one of his loving stares. She nodded and closed her eyes.

She slowly inched her face closer to his. She froze when his familiar lips met with hers. They had never kissed while having so little clothing on. She felt his hand on her hip and she couldn’t help but think of Tatum. She didn’t know why she was thinking of Tatum. She forced herself to picture Billy, his thin figure and his dark eyes. She placed her hand on his neck and deepened the kiss.

She felt him tense before he rolled them so Sidney was on her back. He was on top of her, his knee between her legs. She felt her heartbeat quicken as she wanted the world to end. She forced herself to focus on his mouth. Billy was keeping his hands at her waist, not moving down, and not moving up far enough to touch her breasts. Sidney was extremely thankful. She sat up, not separating them, Billy heavily exhaled out of his nose. Sidney gently placed her hand on his shoulder and lightly pushed him.

He stopped kissing and sat next to her. Sidney took a deep breath. “We should go to sleep,” she stated.

Billy nodded. “Yeah,” he ran a hand through his hair and he laid down, facing the window.

Sidney was relieved. She laid down and faced the door. Billy turned and put his arm around her. Sidney closed her eyes, feeling tears trying to escape. The worst part was that she didn’t know why she was crying.

* * *

Billy couldn’t sleep. He knew he didn’t like Sidney but he forced himself to hold her as she slept. He laid there wondering what Stu was doing. He didn’t want to think about him but he couldn’t stop himself. He had even imagined he was kissing him instead of Sidney. It was difficult since she was built very different than Stu. She was smaller than him. Billy knew that if he were anyone else he would be holding back tears while longing for the other boy. He just didn’t care enough to even think about crying. He just stared at the back of Sidney’s head, hoping that she would stop breathing in her sleep.

He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he woke up alone. The door was closed and the sun was shining through the window. He grabbed his phone off of the nightstand. It was almost noon. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He unlocked his phone and sent a text to his mother reading “good morning.”

He got out of Sidney’s bed and put his jeans back on. He ran his hand through his hair and left the room. He headed down the stairs. Sidney and Tatum were on the couch, watching some Disney movie. He was glad that he didn’t have to deal with Sidney and that Tatum was taking her focus. He walked into the kitchen and saw a box of donuts on the counter. He grabbed one and poured himself a cup of coffee.

He heard footsteps and he was no longer alone. He turned and leaned against the counter. Maureen was pouring herself a glass of lemonade. “Hey Billy,” she said softly.

Billy was suddenly very angry, which wasn’t unusual, but was unwanted. “Good morning Mrs. Prescott,” he greeted, knowing she didn’t like being called that.

Maureen gently placed a hand on his shoulder and he went numb. “How many times do I have to say, call me Maureen?” she looked him in the eyes. She moved her hand off of him and smiled. “How’s your father doing?”

Billy swallowed the room temperature coffee and looked her in the eyes. “He’s boring,” he stated drily.

Maureen gave a soft laugh. “I’m sure that’s not true. Henry is a very interesting man.”

Billy gave a genuine laugh. “Sure, Maureen,” he dumped the coffee in the sink and put the mug haphazardously next to some other mugs and plates. To get away from the awkward situation he went into the living room and sat next to Sidney.

He would much rather sit next to Sidney in silence than deal with Maureen being weird. Billy was starting to hate women in general aside from his own mother. Sidney leaned against him and he put his arm around her shoulders. It was their usual routine, awkwardly doing couple things. Billy hoped she thought he was in love with her.

The television went to commercial and Tatum gave him an eyeroll. Sidney stood up and went upstairs. Billy didn’t know where she went and he didn’t care aside from not wanting to be alone with Tatum. Being alone with her was awkward because she didn’t even know that the day before he was kissing her boyfriend. “So you spent the night, huh?” Tatum broke the silence.

Billy didn’t even look at her. “Yep. Slept right next to her.”

Tatum nodded. “You two didn’t have sex did you?”

Billy couldn’t fight the laugh that escaped him. “What?” he looked at her, an amused smile on his face.

She smiled at him. “Good.”

He didn’t know what that meant and he was perfectly fine with not knowing.


End file.
